Trailer hitch assemblies incorporating a ball on a vehicle and a trailer having a tongue with a bulbous hollow receptacle for receiving such ball on the vehicle are well known. The bulbous receptacle on the tongue of the trailer and associated locking mechanism are generally referred to as the trailer coupler. The structural design of a trailer coupler has become standardized. Geresy (U.S. Pat. No. 3,237,969) discloses the standard trailer coupler design which is fabricated from metal plate material. As depicted by Geresy, the standard design includes a bulbous hollow for receiving the ball on a vehicle for connection thereto. Further, the wall of the bulbous hollow continues around the front and sides on the bottom side of the coupler to form a lateral marginal flange which extends beyond the bulbous hollow to form the perimeter of the trailer coupler.
The conventional trailer coupler can cause extensive damage to a vehicle when backing up to a trailer coupler for connecting a trailer to that particular vehicle. For example, when a vehicle is being backed up to a trailer, the operator of the vehicle cannot see the trailer coupler which is obscured by the vehicle. Thus, unless the operator always has an additional person giving direction, the operator must guess the distance to backup. This many times leads to contact between the trailer coupler and the back of the vehicle. This contact causes damage to paint on the vehicle, bumper and/or license plate on many occasions. This problem is further complicated by the operator having to guess the appropriate height of the coupler prior to backing under the trailer. The proper height can vary with the grade on which the vehicle and trailer are positioned. Thus, improper height can lead to contact between the standard trailer coupler and readily damaged portions of the vehicle, such as the vehicle bumper, tail gate, license plate, trunk lid or plastic lighting covers.
Although some trailer hitch bumpers have been developed, only one has been developed to date to protect against metal-to-metal contact between the trailer coupler and the vehicle when backing underneath the trailer coupler for connection with the vehicle.
DeVries in U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,494 discloses a guard for a trailer coupler having a generally U-shaped member that protects against damage from metal to metal contact between only the lateral marginal flange of the trailer and the vehicle.
Liland et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,559 discloses a protective guard for a trailer hitch housing having an impact absorbing body covering at least a portion of the outer surface of the longitudinal end portion of a trailer hitch housing. It is possible that this guard could fall off, as its primary means of attachment is an adhesive disposed between the guard body and the outer surface of the coupler. If the guard does fall off, it has no means of retention. This design also has no provisions for a plug receptacle boot for protectably receiving a trailer lighting plug.
Young et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,770 discloses a decorative cover for the end of a draw bar and a towing hitch cover which protects the draw bar when the draw bar is not in place. This design does not address the problems associated with contact between the coupler of the trailer, but rather the vehicle portion of the hitch assembly.
Beckerer, Jr. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,968 discloses a protective cover for a trailer hitch which fits over the ball of the trailer. The cover is designed to protect operators from injury when they hit their leg on the ball on the vehicle when a trailer is not attached thereto. The design could be not utilized to protect against damage associated with the frontal portion of the coupler contacting the vehicle when being attached thereto.
Silver in U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,848 discloses a trailer accessory for protectably receiving trailer plugs. The base is secured to the tongue with a connection member including threaded fasteners which engage first and second end slots of a crossbar and first and second inboard slots of the base. This design could not be utilized to protect against damage associated with the frontal portion of the coupler contacting the vehicle when being attached thereto. The design cannot be utilized to protect against damage associated with the frontal portion of the coupler contacting the vehicle when being attached thereto.
Geisler in U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,854 discloses a protective covering system for trailer light connectors. The protective covering system is characterized by a body, a cap, and an optional holder. The body has a lower flexible portion with a slit for easily attaching and detaching the trailer light protective covering system to the trailer. In the preferred embodiment, the lower part of the flexible body has a slit that allows the device to be easily attached and detached from the wiring harness. In other embodiments, the system is attached to the trailer or towing vehicle in a number of places and in a number of ways. The design could not be utilized to protect against damage associated with the frontal portion of the coupler contacting the vehicle when being attached thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,427, dated Jul. 10, 1990, to Linnea H. Pearson, details an “Electrical Trailer Connector Retainer.” The retainer is designed for use with an electrical wire connector of the type commonly used to provide electrical connection to a trailer device from the electrical system of a towing vehicle. The device is permanently mounted either on the bumper of the towing vehicle or the tongue of the trailer and permits the electrical wire connector used for transferring electrical power to the trailer from the electrical supply system of the towing vehicle, to be retained when not in use and to be made available for electrical connection when needed. While this device prevents the connector from dragging on the ground, it does not protect the connector from rain, mud, snow, dust and other environmental hazards. This device is permanently fixed directly to the towing vehicle or to the trailer itself, and is not easily removable or relocatable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,828 dated Jul. 14, 1992, to Chaunice L. Bass, details a rewind trailer light connector which includes a rewind housing connected to a vehicle frame or trailer tongue and fitted with a spring-loaded rewind mechanism for storing electrical wiring and the connector or connector receptacle. While this device can provide some protection for the wiring, it does little to protect the actual receptacle from exposure to adverse elements and is also fairly complicated, having numerous moving parts, and is relatively expensive. It also is mounted directly to the towing vehicle or to the trailer itself. This device, therefore, is also not easily removable or relocatable. Furthermore, the rewind mechanism itself is exposed to the elements, causing it to fail, negating its protective properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,209 dated to Jan. 10, 1995, to Carroll H. Converse, Jr. (the '209 patent), details a trailer light connector enclosure which discloses a box-like enclosure for containing a trailer light connector and the attached wiring which allows both the trailer connector and wiring to be protected. However, the protective device taught by the '209 patent, like the others detailed above, requires a permanent or semi-permanent attachment to the vehicle or trailer. The '209 device is not easily removed once installed or easily relocated to another trailer and may necessitate the purchase of several devices, one for each trailer or vehicle. In addition, one preferred embodiment taught by the '209 patent is secured to the towing vehicle or the trailer by an adhesive strip. This type of adhesive strip may be prone to failure after extended periods of time and exposure to water and other adverse environmental conditions.
The need exists for a trailer coupler bumper which protects against damage from metal-to-metal contact or metal-to-vehicle contact between any part of the frontal portion of the trailer tongue coupler not only the lateral marginal flange.